Sleeve twister



i 1934- J. H. DODGE ET AL 1,950,229

SLEEVE TWISTER Filed NOV. 17, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2.

la I a lnvenTors. J ohn H Dodge C on J Ekmon March 1934- J. H. DODGE tr AL 29 SLEEVE TWI STER Filed NOV. 17, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nvenTov-s. John H. Dodge Cofl l. EKman ATTys.

March 1934. J. H. DODGE ET AL 1,950,229

SLEEVE TWISTER Filed Nov. 17) 1951 s Sheets-She et s lnveniovs. Jehn H. Dodge CON J Ek r mn 42 r by L M 4M 7 ATTys.

patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLEEVE TWISTER Application November 17, 1931, Serial No. 575,566

Claims. (Cl. 140119) This invention relates to sleeve twisters such as are used for splicing electric conductors.

One way which is now commonly employed in splicing electric conductors is to insert the two 5 conductor ends to be spliced into opposite ends of a connecting sleeve, each conductor end being extended clear through the sleeve so that the conductors have overlapping relation within the sleeve, and then to twist the sleeve with the con- 19 ductors therein. This makes a joint which from an electrical standpoint is equal to a soldered joint and which also is exceedingly strong mechanically.

In splicing some conductors, and especially if the conductors are stranded conductors of generous size, it is desirable to indent the sides of the connecting sleeve adjacent each end to form ribs on the interior of the sleeve which separate the conductors at the ends of the sleeve so that when the sleeve is twisted the overlapping conductors at each end of the sleeve will be maintained separate and in their proper stranded condition.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a sleeve twister of the ratchet type with novel means for clamping the ends of the sleeve during the wire-twisting operation, which means operates also to give the desired deformation to the ends of the sleeve to produce the interior ribs which serve to separate the conductors.

The sleeve twister herein illustrated is of the open-ended ratchet type which can be easily placed on the sleeve by a movement in a direction at right angles to the sleeve, the twisting of the sleeve being accomplished by simply giving the handle of the sleeve twister a vibrating or pumping action.

In order to give an understanding of the invention we have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a sleeve twister embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the sleeve twister taken from the opposite side shown in Fig. l with the cover plate removed to show the ratchet construction;

Fig. 3 is a reduced section on the line 33, Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the operation of the sleeve twister in splicing electrical conductors;

Fig. 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the 55 jaws of the sleeve twister;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one end of the connecting sleeve after it has been indented;

Fig. 8 is a view showing the completed splice;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the sleeve twister with the jaws open ready to receive the sleeve to be twisted;

Fig. 1G is a view showing the jaws partially closed and in position to make the indentations in the sleeve;

Fig. 11 is a cross section through the sleeve before the indentations are made;

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12-12, Fig. 13 showing the opposite faces of the sleeve indented;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of the splice of a conductor.

Before describing the illustrated device embodying our invention we will refer briefly to s. '7, 8 and 11 to 13 which show the work done and the form of splice made by the device.

As stated above one common way of splicing two conductor ends, such as are indicated at 1 and 2 in Fig. 8, is to introduce these conductor ends 1 and 2 into the opposite ends of a connector sleeve 3 so that each end extends clear through the sleeve, the connector sleeve being oblong in cross section and of the proper size to receive the conductor ends 1 and 2 as shown in Fig. 11. After the conductor ends have thus been inserted in the sleeve then the ends of the sleeve are deformed by being indented at opposite sides as shown at 4 to produce the interior ribs 5 which serve to separate the conductor ends 1 and 2 at each end of the sleeve and after the sleeve has been thus deformed as shown in Fig. 7 then it, with the conductors therein, is twisted longitudinally as shown in Figs. 8 and 13 thereby completing the splice.

During this twisting operation the interior ribs 5 formed by the indentations 4 serve to keep the conductors separated at the ends and if the conductors are stranded conductors these ribs 5 serve to preserve the stranded conductors in their proper stranded condition without causing separation of the strands of each conductor.

The tool forming the subject matter of this application is designed to form the indentations 4 in the sleeve and then to twist the sleeve. It is of the open-ended ratchet type of sleeve twister, and it comprises a body portion 6 which 105 is formed with a handle 7 by which the tool is manipulated and also with a ratchet member 8' which is rotatively mounted in a recess 9 in the body member. The ratchet member 8 is provided with notches 10 in its periphery with which I10 r sleeve-deforming jaws.

open jaws.

co-operate oppositely-disposed spring-pressed pawls 11 carried by the body 6.

Some usual or well-known. means is employed for reversing the pawls and thereby rendering either pawl operative. Such means comprises a spindle 12 extending longitudinally of the handle 7 and provided with a cam projection 13 which is adapted to engage one pawl or the other as the spindle 12 is turned thereby to throw either pawl into its inoperative position as shown by the right hand pawl in Fig. 2. This spindle is turned from a knurl or head 14 at the end of the handle.

The ratchet member 8 is provided with the central opening 15 to receive the sleeve 3 to be twisted and also with the entrance throat 16 leading to the opening. The body 6 is also provided with a slot or opening 17, which, when the ratchet member is properly positioned, forms with the throat 16 an entrance passage into the central opening 15 through which the sleeve can be inserted edgewise.

The ratchet member 8 is provided with a pair of sleeve-clamping jaws which also function as These jaws are indicated at 18 and 19 respectively. The jaw 18 is made rigid with the ratchet member 8 and the jaw 19 is pivotally connected to the jaw 18 to provide for opening and closing the jaws. As shown the laws 18, 19 are provided with extensions 29 and 21 which are pivotally connected as shown at 22. Each jaw carries a sleeve-clamping and sleevedeforming die 23. The dies 23 are removably carried by the jaws and are thus interchangeable so that dies of the proper size to fit the sleeve to be twisted and of the proper shape to give the sleeve the desired deformation may be employed.

Each of the dies shown in the drawings has the two curved seats 24 separated by a central rib or inward projection 25. When the dies are in position and the dies are closed together the two inward projections 25 are opposed to each other and the two adjacent seats 24 form a continuous particylindrical surface.

These dies may be secured to the jaws in any approved way. As herein shown each jaw is formed with a cavity or depression 26 in which the die is received and the die is retained in position by a screw 2'7 which screws through the jaw from the outside and into the back of the die. Furthermore, each die is shown as having a centering projection 28 which fits in a recess formed in the jaw for that purpose.

For clamping the two jaws together one of them, to wit, the jaw 19 in the drawings, has a clamping screw 29 pivoted thereto as shown at 30 and the other jaw 20 is provided with a forked end 31 to receive the clamping screw 29. 32 indicates a clamping nut screw threaded to the clamping screw 29 and provided with a suitable handle 33 by which it may be manipulated.

Fig; 1 shows the jaws clamped together. By turning the handle 33 the nut 32 may be backed off sufficiently to allow the clamping screw to be swung out from the forked end 31 of the jaw 19, after which the pivoted jaw 19 may be swung or opened away from the other jaw 18, as shown in Fig. 9.

In using the device the jaws are opened and ,j the ratchet member 8 is positioned so that its throat 16 is in alignment with the slot 17 as seen in Fig. 9. The implement may then be applied to the end of the sleeve 3 by entering the sleeve edgewise into the passage 17, 16 and between the The jaws are then closed onto the sleeve to bring the projections 25 of the dies against the opposite sides of said sleeve as shown in Fig. 10 and the nut 32 is then tightened to close the jaws together, which operation will cause the projections 25 to indent the sleeve on opposite sides thereby to produce the interior ribs 5 which separate the two conductors 1 and 2. When the jaws have been completely closed together as seen in Fig. 2 then the sleeve-twisting operation may be performed. For this purpose it may be convenient to apply a sleeve-twisting tool to each end of the sleeve and by properly setting the pawls of the two tools so that the ratchet members will work in opposite directions the twisting can be accomplished by simply pumping the handles 7 of the two tools back and forth. When the sleeve has been twister to a sufficient extent the clamping nut 32 is backed off and the jaws are opened and then the tools may be removed from the sleeve, it being understood that in order to do this it is necessary to position the ratchet member 8 in the body so that the slots 17 and 16 will be in alignment.

The clamping jaws 18 and 19 are so designed that when they are closed together to clamp and deform the sleeve 3 the indentations 4 and ribs 5 will be formed without distorting the portions 34 of the sleeve which encircle the conductors 1 and 2. In order to secure this end the extensions 28 and 21 of the jaws are offset from the center line 35 of the closed jaws sothat the center 22 about which the pivoted jaw 19 swings is on one side of said center line, it being on the swinging-jaw side of the center line. With this arrangement the projection 25 of the die carried by the swinging jaw 18 will move in the are indicated by the line 36 in Fig. 6 when the jaw is opened and closed and this will cause the projection 25 to act on the sleeve in a direction at substantially right angles to the side face thereof which will produce the indentations 4 and ribs 5 in the proper position on the sleeves while maintaining the portions 34 of the sleeve of equal size. With this arrangement substantially the same effect will be produced as if the dies were moved toward each other with a right line movement.

The ratchet member 8 is made with the outer sleeve 3'7 and the inner sleeve portion 38 which fits within the outer sleeve portion 37, said two sleeve portions being keyed together by the keys 39. The inner sleeve portion 38 is integral with the jaw 18 and thus when the parts are assembled the ratchet member 8 and the jaw 18 are rigidly connected together. The clamping jaws are on the opposite side of the wrench from the removable cover plate 4.0 which covers the pawls 11.

In assembling the wrench the cover plate is removed and then the outer sleeve 37 of the ratchet member may be placed in the socket 9 after which the cover plate 40 is put in place. The inner sleeve member 38, which is integral with the jaw 18, is then forced into the sleeve member 37 and the keys 39 are inserted. If desired, the

ends of the keys exposed on the face of the wrench carrying the cover plate 40 may be spot welded to both the inner and the outer sleeve thereby permanently securing the parts together as shown at 41.

With this arrangement the jaws 18, 19 do not interfere at all with the removal or replacing of the cover plate 40.

As stated above the dies 23 are made interchangeable so that dies of different sizes can be used to fit difierent sizes of sleeves 3. In Fig.

6 we have illustrated in dotted lines the shapes of the seats 24 for dies which are smaller and larger than those illustrated in full lines. If a smaller size sleeve is to be operated on then the dies will be replaced by those having seats 24 indicated by the smaller dotted lines in Fig. 6 while if a larger sleeve is to be operated on then dies would be used which would have a larger seat indicated by the larger dotted lines.

Some of the connector sleeves which are employed are flared outwardly at their ends as shown at 42 and where this type of sleeve is used the indentations 4 will preferably be formed just back of the flare.

In order to facilitate the removal of the twisted conductor from the tool the ratchet member 8 is shown as cut away at 43 to give freedom of movement to the outwardly-flared end 42 of the connector as it is removed from the tool.

We claim.

1. A sleeve twister comprising a body portion, a pair of sleeve-clamping and sleeve-deforming jaws carried by the body and pivotally connected independent thereof, said pivotal connection being at one side of the center line of the jaws, each jaw having a rib and the ribs being oppositely disposed when the jaws are closed, and means to clamp the jaws together onto a connector sleeve thereby to cause the ribs to form indentations in opposite sides of the sleeve.

2. A sleeve twister comprising a body portion, a pair of sleeve-clamping and sleeve-deforming jaws carried by the body and pivotally connected independently thereof, said pivotal connection being at one side of the center line of the jaws, each jaw having a rib and the ribs being oppositely disposed when the jaws are closed, means to clamp the jaws together onto a connector sleeve thereby to cause the ribs to form indentations in opposite sides of the sleeve, and a pawland-ratchet connection between said jaws as a unit and the body portion.

3. A sleeve twister comprising an open-ended body portion provided with a handle, a ratchet member rotatively mounted in the body portion and having a pawl-and-ratchet connection therewith, said ratchet member having a sleevereceiving opening and a radial throat leading to said opening, a pair of pivotally-connected sleeveclamping jaws, one of which is a fixed jaw rigid with the ratchet member and the other of which is movable toward and from the fixed jaw, the center line of said jaws when closed being at an angle to the radial direction of the throat, whereby when the sleeve to be twisted is inserted through said throat and into said opening the fixed jaw gives the sleeve a position with its long axis parallel to the center line of the jaws, and means for clamping the movable jaw against the sleeve.

4. A sleeve twister comprising an open-ended body portion provided with a handle, a ratchet member rotatively mounted in said body portion and having a pawl-and-ratchet connection therewith, said ratchet member having a central sleeve-receiving opening and a radial throat leading thereto, a pair of pivotally-connected sleeve-clamping and sleeve-deforming jaws, one of which is a fixed jaw rigid with the ratchet member, the center line of said jaws extending at an angle to the center line of the throat, each jaw having a sleeve-deforming rib, and means to clamp the pivoted jaw against a connector sleeve inserted into said opening.

5. A sleeve twister comprising an open-ended body portion provided with a handle, a ratchet member rotatively mounted in the body portion and having a pawl-and-ratchet connection therewith, said ratchet member having a sleeve-receiving opening and a radial throat leading to said opening, a pair of pivotally-connected sleeveclamping jaws, one of which is a fixed jaw rigid with the ratchet member and the other of which is movable toward and from the fixed jaw, the center line of said jaws when closed being at an angle to the radial direction of the throat, whereby when the sleeve to be twisted is inserted through said throat and into said opening the fixed jaw gives the sleeve a position with its long axis parallel to the center line of the jaws, a clamping screw pivoted to the end of the pivoted jaw, said fixed jaw having at its end a slot to receive the clamping screw, and a clamping nut screw-threaded to the clamping screw and by its engagement with the fixed jaw clamping the two jaws together.

. JOHN H. DODGE. CARL J. EKMAN. 

